Breathtaking Images from Nat Geo

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Smasher, the male in the back, cools off in a watering hole in Bandhavgarh National Park, in 2011. Smasher slapped the automated camera trap until it stopped clicking. Both tigers are thought to have killed people, and Smasher is now in captivity. Click here for Nat Geo's anniversary issue.

Steve Winter/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Smasher, the male in the back, cools off in a watering hole in Bandhavgarh National Park, in 2011. Smasher slapped the automated camera trap until it stopped clicking. Both tigers are thought to have killed people, and Smasher is now in captivity. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for Nat Geo's anniversary issue.</a>

Steve Winter/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Photography pioneer George Shiras made the first nighttime wildlife photos. Here, he demonstrates his revolving camera tray, mounted jacklight and handheld flashgun in Whitefish Lake, Mich., 1906. National Geographic is celebrating its 125th anniversary in its October issue. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external">See more of Nat Geo's October anniversary issue here.</a>

George Shiras/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Seeking to capture the throng in Churchgate Station in Mumbai, India, Randy Olson coached a local assistant through the laborious process needed to get this shotin 2011, because the perfect vantage point was closed to foreigners. After four hours, he had this picture and a small victory over Indian bureaucracy. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external">Click here for more.</a>

Randy Olson/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

A single frame can transport people to our planet's far-flung and beautiful places. In this shot, stalactites and a sunbeam spotlight a swimmer in the Xkeken cenote, a natural well in the Yucatan thought by the Maya to lead to the underworld, in Dzitnup, Mexico. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for the </a> 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic magazine.

John Stanmeyer/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Jou Jou, a captive chimpanzee, reaches out its hand to Dr. Jane Goodall in Brazzaville Zoo, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo." <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for more images and information about the </a> 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic magazine.

Michael Nichols/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Under the black clouds of burning oil fields during the Gulf War in 1991, camels forage desperately for shrubs and water in southern Kuwait. Front-line photographs of regions ravaged by human strife can also illuminate wars environmental cost. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for more information on Nat Geo's 125th anniversary issue.</a>

Steve McCurry/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Its image mirrored in icy water, a polar bear in Canada, 2004, travels submerged, a tactic often used to surprise prey. Scientists fear global warming could drive bears to extinction sometime this century.<a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for the</a> October 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic magazine.

Paul Nicklen/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

A cowgirl in Texas, 1939, drops a nickel into a parking meter to hitch her pony. When this photo was taken El Paso, Texas, was still a highly horse-conscious town, with many cattle-ranch residents.<a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for more information</a> about the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic magazine, showcasing 125 years of beautiful photography.

Luis Marden/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

Floating on dreams and whispers, girls from a village in the West Bank between Jordan and Israel in 2009 cool off in the salt-laden waters of the Dead Sea. With its main tributary, the Jordan, at less than a tenth of its former volume, the inland sea dropped some 70 feet from 1978 to 2009.<a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here for more information.</a>

Paolo Pellegrin/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

A lion pushes through a dust storm in Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa, in 1996. The weather had worsened to the point that the lion didn't notice the photographer's approach. "I shot three rolls of him and just one picture turned out --serendipity," said Johns. <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external"> Click here</a> for Nat Geo's 125th anniversary issue.

Chris Johns/National Geographic

The Most Stunning Pictures from National Geographic

"Photography is a powerful tool and form of self-expression," said Chris Johns, editor in chief of National Geographic magazine. "Sharing what you see and experience through the camera allows you to connect, move and inspire people around the world." <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLNqxJ" target="external">Click here for more of Nat Geo's anniversary issue, out on news stands, Oct. 1.</a>